Lauren Carmichael
High Distinction
St Andrew's Cathedral School
I am woman... hear me whisper

… The validity of the housewife seems entirely circumstantial. But at the end of the day, who gets to decide? Is it society? Is it the feminists? Or is it the media? Surely in an era so firmly pro-choice, the decision should be in the hands of the women themselves. As Dr Catherine Thill has implied, the role of the woman at home is work, but is just not economically or socially validated in the same way. Dr Thill puts forward one framework that recognises women’s contributions in terms of “providers of welfare”, engaging in a level of childcare or community involvement that if paid, would probably amount to a reasonable income. In the focus group, D went so far as to say that many things in society “without our support wouldn’t run. I mean who’s in there doing the reading, who’s doing canteen at school, who’s doing the photocopying, all those things, you know, year parent, class parent, all of that. It’s the stay at home mums who are doing it all.”

As paid labourers contribute enormously to society, so too do stay-at-home mums. Ultimately, perhaps as Delilah Campbell suggests, the issue is not in the role, but in the stereotype. In a poignant conclusion to her article, “Housewives’ Choice?” she states,
“The housewife, the ‘career woman’, the domestic goddess – these are all dehumanising, one-dimensional stereotypes. Now as in the past, what women need are social arrangements that allow them to live like human beings.” The woman who spits in the face of the feminist, ‘I am a housewife loud and proud’, inscribes herself with a restrictive label that ultimately invalidates her choice.

However, the women who have opted out of paid work, to suit their circumstance, career or character, essentially validate themselves by making discerning and individual choices regarding their social arrangements and lifestyles. These women, along with many more, should not feel invalidated by any sphere of society. In Sunrise’s exploration of women’s choices, interviewing three women in full-time work, part-time work, and stay-at-home motherhood, it was stated, “we each… struggle for that little bit of recognition… and validation.” Mothers not in paid work should feel validated in their role, because ultimately, as the program stated, “all mothers are working women”, and “motherhood isn’t a competitive sport”.

Perhaps the best way forward would be a greater societal acceptance of all female roles, so that stay-at-home mums no longer have to live lives of constant justification, no longer have to feel, like one mother stated, that they’re just “not enough”. Furthermore, perhaps, like one woman on Sunrise suggested, society should turn their attention to fatherhood. While women have been scrutinised under the microscope, how have their partner’s careerist ambitions, family attention and work/life balance been played out? How have men gone at maintaining their households, fathering their children, and balancing their work life? I cannot help suspecting that in examining this field, there would be some poignant and interesting findings that might, perhaps, cease many tongues from wagging.